The actor Damon Wayans has been engaged in a 14-month fight to trademark the term "Nigga" for a clothing line and retail store, a search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's online database reveals.

Wayans wants to dress customers in 14 kinds of attire from tops to bottoms, and use the controversial mark on "clothing, books, music and general merchandise," as well as movies, TV and the internet, according to his applications.

But, so far, his applications have been unsuccessful. Trademark examiner Kelly Boulton rejected the registration dated Dec. 22, citing a law that prohibits marks that are "immoral or scandalous." A previous attempt by Wayans was turned down on identical grounds six months earlier.

"While debate exists about in-group uses of the term, 'nigga' is almost universally understood to be derogatory," Boulton wrote to Wayans' attorney, William H. Cox, according to the application.

Cox and other representatives of the actor did not respond to interview requests about the registration.

Wayans can appeal the rejection, but experts in trademark law differ on his chances for success.

Lynda Zadra-Symes, a trademark lawyer in California, said Wayans may be successful. She compared "Nigga" to the successful registration of Dykes on Bikes. The San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent fought the Trademark Office for three years to overturn an initial rejection of a Dykes on Bikes trademark. The mark was published Jan. 24.

"Because the application was by a group of lesbians it was eventually allowed to publish," Zadra-Symes said.

"This is a great victory," the group proclaimed on its website. "It affirms our right to determine who we are and how we present ourselves to the world."

However, Tawnya Wojciechowski, another trademark attorney practicing in California, compared Wayans' application to the ongoing legal case where Washington Redskins trademarks have been challenged by seven Native Americans. "They're going to have a really tough time," Wojciechowski predicted.

The word "nigga" is ubiquitous in hip-hop music, where it provides half of a rhyming couplet radio listeners never get to hear in the Grammy-winning song "Gold Digger" by Kanye West.

Ol' Dirty Bastard used the term 76 times in the 1999 album Nigga Please, not counting repetitions in a chorus.

In January, an episode of the late-night Cartoon Network series Boondocks was criticized for putting the word in the mouth of a fictionalized Martin Luther King Jr.

The effort to commercialize "nigga" drew a sharp response from a black school official who participated in a forum about the word earlier this month at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

"I don't care for it in any form," said Dr. Lonnie Williams, associate vice chancellor for student affairs. "Either way you pronounce it, spell it, anything associated with it -- I find it offensive."

If Wayans succeeds in persuading the Trademark Office to permit the mark, he may have to deal with Keon Rhodan, a 29-year-old entrepreneur in Charleston, South Carolina, who has been using "Nigga" on a line of T-shirts, hoodies and other attire for six years in a part-time, trunk-of-his-car business.

Rhodan attempted to register "Nigga'Clothing" as a trademark in 2001 and was denied by the Trademark Office.

"They said it was disparaging," he said.

Rhodan, who is black, said that he's sold around 2,000 of the shirts at events. When he began selling the shirts, emblazoned with the term "Nigga," he thought he would take criticism, especially from older people.

"I was in the mall with one of the shirts on, and an old lady said, 'Where did you get that shirt from?'" he said, expecting the worst. "She followed me to the car and bought five shirts for her grandchildren."

Rhodan believes that affectionate use of the term within the black community should make it an acceptable mark, but the Trademark Office has thus far has not been persuaded by that argument.

"The very fact that debate is ongoing regarding in-group usage, shows that a substantial composite of African-Americans find the term 'nigga' to be offensive," Boulton wrote in rejecting Wayans.

Though attempts to commercialize "Nigga" coincide with a generational shift in how the word is perceived, the clothing is still likely to test some boundaries, as Rhodan demonstrated in a phone interview.

British singer George Michael was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of possessing drugs after he was found slumped in a car in central London, a police source said.

Michael, 42, who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide during a 25-year career, was arrested in the Hyde Park area of the capital early on Sunday, the source said.

A London police spokesman issued a statement saying a 42-year-old man had been held on suspicion of possessing Class C drugs, a group in British law that includes cannabis, tranquilizers and some painkillers.

"We were called by a member of the public to a man seen slumped over the steering wheel of a car," the statement said. "He was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled substances."

He was bailed to return to a police station in late March pending a police investigation.

Michael's manager and publicist could not be reached for comment.

Under British law, anyone convicted of having Class C drugs can be jailed for up to two years and face an unlimited fine, according to the Home Office (interior ministry) Web site.

In a front page report, the Sun newspaper said the singer was found in a dark-colored Range Rover parked on Hyde Park Corner, one of central London's busiest intersections.

The unsourced report said he was taken into police custody and was examined by a doctor. He had his photograph and fingerprints taken and was released after more than seven hours, the report said.

It is not the star's first brush with the law.

Michael was arrested in April, 1998, for engaging in a "lewd act" in a public toilet in Los Angeles, after which he ended years of speculation by announcing that he was gay.

He told Reuters in an interview last year that he was giving up the world of pop, saying he found the media attention and celebrity "unbearable."

The singer had a string of hits in the 1980s with the band Wham! before forging a successful solo career with albums such as "Faith," "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" and "Patience."

His Brazilian boyfriend Anselmo Feleppa died of an AIDS-related condition in 1993, and Michael fought a legal battle with his record label Sony in the early 1990s before being bought out in a deal reported to be worth $40 million.

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

MANALAPAN, Fla. - The musician Yanni was arrested at his home after an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend, authorities said.

Yanni, whose legal name is John Yanni Christopher, was arrested early Friday and faces a domestic battery charge, according to a police report.

The Greek-born singer-pianist denied the allegations.

Yanni asked his girlfriend, Silvia Barthes, to leave his beachfront home in Manalapan on Thursday night, the police report said. Barthes, 33, told police she attempted to pack her clothing but the 51-year-old musician threw it on the ground.

She told officers he then grabbed her arms and shook her, throwing her on the bed, and jumped on top of her, according to the report.

Yanni told police Barthes kicked him, and he believed he injured his finger during the incident, the report said.

No one answered a call to a telephone listing for a John Christopher in Manalapan late Monday. But the musician said in a statement he was innocent.

"These allegations are cruel, false, without merit and baseless," said the statement released by his manager, Danny O'Donovan. "At a more appropriate time and place, I hope and pray I will have an opportunity to address my fans and colleagues all over the world."

Its so disappointing to find out his real name is John Yanni Christopher. I thought/hoped his name would end in "opoulos."

MANALAPAN, Fla. - The musician Yanni was arrested at his home after an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend, authorities said.

Yanni, whose legal name is John Yanni Christopher, was arrested early Friday and faces a domestic battery charge, according to a police report.

The Greek-born singer-pianist denied the allegations.

Yanni asked his girlfriend, Silvia Barthes, to leave his beachfront home in Manalapan on Thursday night, the police report said. Barthes, 33, told police she attempted to pack her clothing but the 51-year-old musician threw it on the ground.

She told officers he then grabbed her arms and shook her, throwing her on the bed, and jumped on top of her, according to the report.

Yanni told police Barthes kicked him, and he believed he injured his finger during the incident, the report said.

No one answered a call to a telephone listing for a John Christopher in Manalapan late Monday. But the musician said in a statement he was innocent.

"These allegations are cruel, false, without merit and baseless," said the statement released by his manager, Danny O'Donovan. "At a more appropriate time and place, I hope and pray I will have an opportunity to address my fans and colleagues all over the world."

Its so disappointing to find out his real name is John Yanni Christopher. I thought/hoped his name would end in "opoulos."

I dunno. That chick's story doesn't really make sense.

"Leave my house!""Okay, just let me pack my ba--""NO! Now I will throw you on my bed and jump on top of you."

'Lost' star Michelle Rodriguez turned herself in to start serving her jail sentence Thursday -- one day after pledging to leave the country once her hard time is done.

Rodriguez will serve 60 days in a Los Angeles jail for a DUI-related probation violation. She showed up at LA Metro Court on Thursday with her lawyer to start her term.

Less than a day earlier, Rodriguez was videotaped walking outside of a book store on Melrose Avenue, where she told photographers she's not long for the U.S. "I'm moving to France," she says. "You know, people don't bother you there. I do what I got to do. Then I leave the country and never come back."

There is a God. I will gladly buy her her plane ticket.

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

Actress Michelle Rodriguez was released from jail early, after serving less than a day of a 60-day jail sentence, authorities said Tuesday. Rodriguez was sentenced for violating probation terms after her drunken driving arrest in Hawaii. She was released Thursday from a Los Angeles County jail due to overcrowding, authorities said. The former star of ABC's "Lost" still must serve 30 days of community service and remain on probation until June 2009, a spokeswoman for the city attorney's office said. Our prosecutors are not happy about it, but that is the sad reality of our overcrowded jails," said spokeswoman Contessa Mankiewicz. Rodriguez's friend, designer Anand John, told People magazine in a story posted Tuesday on its Web site, "She knows this wasn't a literal get-out-of-jail-free card. Michelle's taken responsibility for the past, and now she's ready to focus on her career." (AP)

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

Hollywood star Michelle Rodriguez fears she may never fulfill her dream of directing, as she suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The Lost beauty has such trouble focusing she knows it will affect her career choices - but she is reluctant to take medication to treat the frustrating affliction. She tells Cosmopolitan magazine, "I want to write and direct, but it's not easy with Add. I have a hard time focusing when I'm alone. I'm a scatterbrain, but I'm nervous of taking medication. I don't really want to depend on anything to control my brain."

Except alcohol?

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

Hollywood star Michelle Rodriguez fears she may never fulfill her dream of directing, as she suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The Lost beauty has such trouble focusing she knows it will affect her career choices - but she is reluctant to take medication to treat the frustrating affliction. She tells Cosmopolitan magazine, "I want to write and direct, but it's not easy with Add. I have a hard time focusing when I'm alone. I'm a scatterbrain, but I'm nervous of taking medication. I don't really want to depend on anything to control my brain."

Except alcohol?

Wow, from the headline, I thought that was going to be about Robert Rodriguez and ADD.

Axl Rose spent most of the day in a Stockholm jail cell after allegedly biting a security guard in the leg at his hotel, police said.

The Guns N' Roses frontman was arrested early Tuesday after attacking and threatening the guard and causing damage to the Berns Hotel, where the alleged scuffle took place, police spokeswoman Towe Hagg said.

Rose was released from jail that evening, after he admitted to the charges and agreed to pay a fine of $5,500, Hagg said.

The 44-year-old rocker was also ordered to pay $1,360 in damages to the security guard, she said.

Catarina Oscarsson, a spokeswoman for concert organizer Ema Telstar, said the band wasn't traveling with a publicist and would not comment on the arrest.

Hagg told The Associated Press that Rose was drunk during the confrontation and was not questioned by police until after he had sobered up.

"He was deemed too intoxicated to be questioned right away," she said.

It was unclear what caused the fight, but Swedish tabloids said the guard tried to intervene when Rose started arguing with a woman in the hotel lobby.

Police officer Fredrik Nylen was quoted by the daily Aftonbladet Web site as saying Rose acted aggressively toward police and had to be handcuffed and restrained in the hotel.

"He kept a high profile, so to speak," Nylen, one of the police officers who helped arrest Rose, was quoted as saying.

Guns N' Roses played a concert in Stockholm's Globe Arena on Monday night, and had been partying at a well-known nightclub before the scuffle, Aftonbladet said.

The band was scheduled to perform in Oslo, Norway, on Wednesday night.

In May, Rose and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger capped an evening out at a new club called The Plumm in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood with midnight fisticuffs.

The scuffle reportedly started after Rose moved the drink of Hilfiger's girlfriend. According to Rose, Hilfiger, 55, smacked him in the arm and told him to put the drink back.

Rose was at the club to play a surprise set for "Rent" actress Rosario Dawson for her 27th birthday party.

He did perform, and dedicated the song "You're Crazy" to "my good friend Tommy Hilfiger."

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Rush Limbaugh will likely have to wait several days to find out if he violated his deal with prosecutors in a prescription fraud case when authorities found him in possession of a bottle of Viagra that was apparently prescribed to someone else, a spokesman for the state attorney's office said Tuesday.

Limbaugh, 55, was detained for more than three hours Monday at Palm Beach International Airport after he returned on his private plane from a vacation in the Dominican Republic. Customs officials found Viagra in his bag, but his name wasn't on the prescription, Palm Beach County sheriff's spokesman Paul Miller said.

Limbaugh's lawyer, Roy Black, said the prescription was written in his doctor's name "for privacy purposes." The conservative radio host was released without being charged and investigators confiscated the Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction.

Limbaugh joked about the search on his radio show Tuesday, saying Customs officials didn't believe him when he said he got the pills at the Clinton Library and he was told they were blue M&Ms. He later added, chuckling: "I had a great time in the Dominican Republic. Wish I could tell you about it."

It is generally not illegal under Florida law for a physician to prescribe medication in a third party's name if all parties are aware and the doctor documents it correctly, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the state attorney in Palm Beach County. He would not discuss specifics in the Limbaugh case Tuesday.

The sheriff's office was continuing its investigation and would turn the case over to prosecutors in several days, Edmondson said. The alleged violation could be a second-degree misdemeanor if Limbaugh's doctor doesn't confirm the prescription.

Under last month's deal with prosecutors, authorities will dismiss a "doctor shopping" charge if Limbaugh doesn't get arrested for 18 months, among other terms. Prosecutors had said he illegally deceived multiple doctors to get overlapping painkiller prescriptions. Limbaugh denied the charges but admitted he was addicted to painkillers.

This latest case may simply be dismissed if prosecutors can confirm with Limbaugh's doctor that the prescription was indeed for Limbaugh, said Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. attorney in Florida.

In addition, possession of Viagra is in a "completely different universe than a matter that would involve Schedule Two (controlled) substances such as OxyContin" Coffey added.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Viagra is not considered a controlled substance because "it's not something you can be addicted to," said DEA Investigator Maria Gilbert.

The Food and Drug Administration oversees regulations concerning non-addictive drugs that are not considered controlled substances, Gilbert said. A telephone call to the FDA was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Two of Hollywood's most celebrated babies - Kingston Rossdale and Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt - came together, along with their famous parents, for a baby playdate on Sunday. Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani joined Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the couple's Santa Barbara, California retreat during the long fourth of July holiday weekend. The new mums were seen sporting matching baby slings and chatting, meanwhile, Pitt and Rossdale enjoyed a bit of jet skiing. Jolie and Pitt's son Maddox was seen hanging out with the boys, while the couple's 18-month old daughter Zahara, was spotted toddling about enjoying the sun. Security at the luxury compound was on high alert and the estate was heavily guarded by officers on dune buggies, patrol boats and rafts, as well as dogs posted around the properties perimeter.

I think this may be the start of a new trend amongst celebrities: paparazzi-baiting. Just think of the combination of celebrities and situations that would most attract the photogs, and make it happen. Whoever gets the most paparazzi wins a muffin-basket.

I already took "Britney Spears in hotdog-eating contest versus Ashlee Simpson (with nipple flash)" in the betting pool, so you guys have to think of your own.

Hollywood star Michelle Rodriguez fears she may never fulfill her dream of directing, as she suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The Lost beauty has such trouble focusing she knows it will affect her career choices - but she is reluctant to take medication to treat the frustrating affliction. She tells Cosmopolitan magazine, "I want to write and direct, but it's not easy with Add. I have a hard time focusing when I'm alone. I'm a scatterbrain, but I'm nervous of taking medication. I don't really want to depend on anything to control my brain."

Except alcohol?

I have ADD as well and voluntarily went off medication. Yes, reading is tough for me. I even have a hard time concentrating while watching a movie. I have to see a movie twice to get all the details my friends can easily pick up on a first viewing. I just don't have trouble with trying to do all those things. Plus my ambitions well out weigh those two goals of her.